1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide mechanism and an electronic apparatus, and particularly to a slide mechanism and an electronic apparatus that enable their slider or housing to be moved with a low load.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, slide cellular phones have become popular. Such cellular phones have the rear surface of their front housing joined to the front surface of their rear housing by a slide mechanism. Hence, the rear housing can slide upward and downward relative to the front housing. Some cellular phones allow their rear housing to slide both upward and downward from a closed state, in which the rear housing entirely overlaps with the front housing. For example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2007-67892 discloses the following cellular phone. This cellular phone presents its rear housing to function as an operation unit when the rear housing is drawn downward relative to the front housing. Meanwhile, the rear housing functions as a camera or the like when it is drawn upward relative to the front housing. Accordingly, each function of the rear housing can be used selectively based on the function that a user wants to enjoy.
However, when to be drawn either upward or downward relative to the front housing, the rear housing has to be slid manually over its entire sliding range. Likewise, when to be slid back to the closed state from the drawn-out state, the rear housing has to be slid manually over its entire sliding range. Hence, sliding requires a substantial force.